The Daily Word: Golden State Warriors Head To NBA Finals…AND MORE

Steph Curry and the Warriors will take on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

NBA star Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors claimed a major victory on Monday evening that secured their spot in the 2016 NBA Finals. Curry, who garnered the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award twice, led his team with 36 points, eight assists, and five rebounds to a 93-86 win. “Steph is gonna Steph,” Warriors center Festus Ezeli said in a statement. “He came out and showed why he is the MVP.” Curry remained positive throughout the entire Western Conference finals. “I knew we were ready for the moment,” he said. “(I knew) we were a mature basketball team that tried our best not to listen to the noise when we were down 3-1. … In that locker room, the talk was positive.” Curry and the Warriors will take on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. The two teams battled last year for the 2015 NBA title. “You appreciate how tough it is to get back here,” said Curry. “You’ve got to be appreciative of this accomplishment, and look forward to getting four more wins.” The first game of the 2016 NBA Finals is slated to take place on Thursday night in Oakland. Read more.

Brooklyn rapper Troy Ave Charged with Attempted Murder

Brooklyn-bred rapper Troy Ave has been charged with attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon in relation to a fatal shooting that took place on May 25 at Irving Plaza in New York City. The rapper, real name Roland Collins, was officially slapped with the charges in Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday. Judge Ushir Pandit-Durant denied Collins’ request for $50,000 bail, despite the fact that he had no prior criminal record. Collins’ lawyers, Scott E. Leemon and John Stella, are claiming he should not be held accountable for the incident, which claimed the life of his bodyguard Ronald McPhatter. “He’s the real victim here,” Mr. Leemon said in court. “McPhatter died a hero trying to protect Mr. Collins. He was not shot by Mr. Collins.” Video footage, which captured the incident, allegedly showed Collins entering a V.I.P room on the second floor of the venue brandishing a gun and firing shots. According to police, a physical altercation occurred before shots were fired. One person died and three people suffered wounds. Read more.

Madonna Claps Back at BET for Prince Tribute Diss

When word spread that Madonna would deliver a tribute for the late legendary singer Prince at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, many people were up in arms. During her performance, she covered Prince’s song “Nothing Compares 2 U” while sitting on a purple throne. Stevie Wonder also graced the stage with the songstress to sing “Purple Rain.” Following the performance, BET took to Twitter and posted, “Yeah, we saw that. Don’t worry. We got you” along with a sneak peek from their own Prince tribute. Madonna took to Instagram and clapped back, posting a throwback photo of her in a floral jacket that Prince allegedly gave her. “Wearing the jacket Prince gave me back in the day without permission from BET,” read the caption. “Lol! God Bless America.” Celebrities have spoken out to defend Madonna’s performance. “Every Prince rendition will not be a life changing orgasmic experience. Just to SING his work is brave enough…But the point is let’s not get ugly with playing the ‘Prince would and wouldn’t approve’ game,” posted Questlove on Twitter. Read more.

Eric Holder Says Edward Snowden Did a “Public Service”

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said that Edward Snowden, the former CIA employee who copied and exposed confidential information from the National Security Agency back in 2013, did a “public service” by sparking the conversation surrounding surveillance procedures. “We can certainly argue about the way in which Snowden did what he did, but I think that he actually performed a public service by raising the debate that we engaged in and by the changes that we made,” said Holder during a podcast interview. “Now I would say that doing what he did — and the way he did it — was inappropriate and illegal. He harmed American interests. I know there are ways in which certain of our agents were put at risk, relationships with other countries were harmed, our ability to keep the American people safe was compromised. There were all kinds of re-dos that had to be put in place as a result of what he did, and while those things were being done we were blind in certain really critical areas. So what he did was not without consequence.” Snowden has been in exile in Russia for the past few years. If he were to return to the U.S., he would be punished for his involvement in the scandal. Read more.

Snoop Dogg Criticizes “Roots” Remake in Instagram Video

Although television shows and movies centered on slavery are created to capture the essence of the struggle that African-Americans went through, many people aren’t here for it; including rapper Snoop Dogg. The 44-year-old took to Instagram to express his disappointment about The History Channel’s decision to air the Roots miniseries on Memorial Day. “I’m sick of this s—. How the f— are they going to put ‘Roots’ on, on Memorial Day?” he said in the video. “They going to just to keep beating that s— into our heads about how they did us, huh?” He then went on to denounce other projects, including the series Underground and the movie 12 Years A Slave. “When you all going to make a motherf—— series about the success that black folks is having? The only success we have is ‘Roots’ and ’12 Years a Slave?’ “Let’s create our own s— based on today. How we live and how we inspire people today. Black is what’s real.” LeVar Burton, who starred in the original Roots series and executive produced the revived show, said that the project is a reflection of what’s happening in America today. “If you are living in America right now, then the story of slavery is relevant to you, because it’s shaped the country and the culture in which you live, whether you want to admit that or not,” said Burton. Read more.